William l



(No Model.)

W. L. VAN METER.

SHOE KNIFE.

No. 354,275. Patented Dec. 14, 1886.

INVENTOR' M Wafer WITNESSES 7n}. ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC \VILLIAM L. VAN METER, OF VINELAND, NE\V JERSEY.

SHOE-KNI FE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 354,275, dated December 14, 1886,

Application filed March 9, 1886. Serial No. 194,553.

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. VAN METER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vineland, in the county of Cumberland and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ShoeKnives; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The figures of the drawings are representations of the shoe-knife blade.

This invention relates to improvements in 'shoecutters extension knife-blades; and it consists in the novel construction of the blades, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

This class ot'blades has been heretofore made of straight pieces of steel, which it has been necessary to grind out to form the requisite curve to get what istcrmed the proper hook to the point of, the blade, which operation has heretofore entailed a great waste of material, besides, few cutters are sufficiently expert in the art of grinding edge tools to grind a cutters blade properly, and they have therefore either been compelled to employ skilled labor for this purpose or to imperfectlygrind the blade themselves. My blade, being furnished to the cutter ready ground, obviates all this trouble.

My invention has for its objects to improve the blades of cutters knives in such a manner as to very greatly increase the number of grinds in a blade, and to very greatly reduce the necessity of grinding the blade after it leaves the manufacturers hands.

The style or form of the blade can be varied, as I have illustrated in the figures. Figure 3 represents the old style of blade.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an extension double-pointed elongated crescent-shaped blade with the concave curved side A ground to an edge, and it has several grindsintermediate of its endsthat is, it may be sharpened at both ends as often as may be (No model.)

desired or necessary until worn too short to be properly clamped in or between the jaws of the handle. Then the point has become worn off by use to the dotted line B, Fig. 4, it is then broken oft" at the dotted line C and ground to the dotted line D, thereby making a new grind with little trouble. Fig. 2 also represents the same blade without tapering points. The dotted line at E, Fig. 3, represents where the old style of blade has to be ground to get the proper curve or hook to the point.

By having the whole blade curved, as represented at Fig. 1, there are made many more grinds to a blade on account of its not being necessary to break off near as much of the point of the blade to make another grind after a grind has worn out. The curves or hooks of my blades being died out and not ground out, (the die fitting the curved edge where the previous blades was died out,) a great saving is obtained in both labor and material, for the hooks of the old style of blade are ground to the dotted line E, Fig. 3, which operation is very wasteful of both time and material. These blades are used in a handle especially constructed to hold the blades of this kind; but as this handle is not claimed in this connection description of it here is unnecessary. Each time a new grind is required the old one is broken off, as described, and the blade is extended out of the handle the proper length, and the blade being curved as it is the hook required is necessarily obtained.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. An extension elongated crescent-shaped 

